As I’ve shared in the past, my job allows me to fly for a reduced fare. Since I fly “standby,” I only get on if there’s an empty seat not purchased by a passenger paying full price. Which is AMAZING; especially when I actually get on the plane.😂

FLYING STANDBY TO BALI

With the case of Bali, I had a few ways to get there. But since my airline doesn’t fly directly to Denpansar (DPS), I had a couple flights ahead of me. To begin, I took the jumpseat (flight attendant seat) from Minneapolis to San Francisco. Naturally, poor weather across the continental U.S. delayed my flight almost 4 hours.

I arrived in San Francisco with about an hour to connect to my flight to Singapore. I was flying standby on another airline, so I was mentally prepared for a middle seat in economy. But I was pleasantly surprised when my assigned seat was the first row of economy plus and a window! Score! I brought goodies for the crew and they took wonderful care of me. 

16 hours later, I landed in Singapore to discover that my connecting flight to Bali (Indonesia) was also delayed 4 hours. * sigh *

I already had a 3-hour layover in Singapore, so 3 + 4 = 7 hours wandering through the duty-free store, binging Netflix, and watching how people parent unruly children. 

Around 90 minutes before departure, I found a customer service desk to request my boarding pass (as I was flying standby again). There I learned that I actually needed to go through customs and immigration, exit security, go to departures (check-in), and THEY would give me a boarding pass. And I proceeded to just that, in the most frantic “I’m going to miss my flight” fashion. I arrived at the gate in time, and I was assigned an exit row (yay leg room!) window seat! 

Upon arrival in Bali, there was a driver waiting for me with my very own sign! My friend Glo organized the trip and did a fantastic job with the logistics. Since the bootcamp didn’t start until the following day, I booked myself a room in a villa near Seminyak (30 min ride from the airport). While I exclusively stay in hotels for work, when I travel I use Airbnb 70% of the time. I scored this peaceful spot for $20/night. YES. $20/night.

Flying in a day early gave me the perfect jump start to my stay in Bali. I set up by the pool to work on my laptop during the day, and the staff turned on a Justin Bieber playlist. When they saw me trying to subtly sing along, they turned up the music. * insert crying face * 

Jetlagged, I kept the first night low key. Dinner nearby and a walk along the beach. Indonesia was my first Asian country and I just wanted to take it all in. 

GETTING HOME ON STANDBY

The logistics of getting to Bali paled in comparison to the itinerary I had set for myself to get home. It was so complicated that I did the math wrong and told everyone I was traveling 62 hours, when I was actually only traveling 38 hours. But I also got home a WHOLE day earlier, because I didn’t realize how the time zones worked going back to the U.S. from Asia.

Fying home over a weekend, the flights were completely full. I checked every possible way to connect home on standby – through Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the Philippines.

I broke down in tears and purchased a full-fare ticket on Singapore Airlines from Denpasar (Bali) to Singapore. For perspective, this ONE ticket for a 2 hour flight was $300 (USD). My 3 flights to Bali cost me approximately $180. And my remaining 3 flights home were around $120. To shell out $300 for a ticket was frustrating, but it was necessary.

I arrived in Singapore around 11pm. My next flight to Tokyo left at 5am, so I wandered around the airport until I could check in and get my boarding pass. Flights were full (again), but I was flying on my own airline this time. I had booked the jumpseat (flight attendant seat), so I rode that for 7 hours to Tokyo. With a quick 90 minute layover, I exited security, picked up a new boarding pass, and rode the jumpseat again for another 7 hours to Portland.

Once I cleared Customs and Border Patrol in Portland, I only had about an hour until my flight to Minneapolis. I had (you guessed it!) the jumpseat yet again. Which is a blessing because it’s a guaranteed seat, but if you’ve ever though your seat cushion was thin…. well, ours is half that.

Nevertheless, after 38 hours of traveling, I arrived safe and sound in Minneapolis! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to fly standby, but it can definitely be an adventure getting to/from any destination.

If you’re curious about what I did in Bali,
I shared my “How To” Bali Destination Guide here.

Until next time, I wish you all the best from 35,000 ft.,

*The dollar amount is subject to change, per Airbnb’s policy and is not guaranteed. Beyond Utah is not responsible for honoring this signing bonus as it is an affiliate code provided by Airbnb and subject to change without notice.